Philmont

How many monkeys can you cram into a barrel? Well, apparently Philmont is one more monkey being shoved into the barrel of pop/punk with uber ease. Hailing from Charlotte, North Carolina these guys came together in 2005 upon breakups from their formal groups. With very uplifting lyrics, upbeat melodies, and the backing of Forefront records, they’re sure to be a hit at first but are going to have to find their own niche to stay afloat.

Pulling in listeners first is the icebreaker “I Can’t Stand To Fall” with lyrical attractiveness and crushing guitars. Also included are some uplifting lyrics where leader singer Scott Taube confidently declares “I know I’m meant for great things” topped off by nice harmony layovers. After rattling their unoriginality chains with the EP opener though, they decided to break free into some other areas of rock and ballads. “Another Name” poses no threat to ballads everywhere because it fits right into the average bear of punk tangents. This song exhorts with introductory vocals and comforts with amiable lyrics like “I know that you get overwhelmed, but just relax.” Overlaid by guitar at the beginning and chased by light strings and even harmonies, the tune is reminiscent of a Relient K arrangement.

Luckily, the band tries to add some flavor to break up the uniformity on “The Difference” where a full introduction stops on a dime handing off to a lonely clean guitar and occasional samples. Pouncing tones and palm mutes abound during expected harmonies and pulsating beats. The only hope we have of uniqueness in “Photosynthetic” is the eerie sounding synthesizers underlying the low and high note platforms the cutting guitar takes you to.

While Philmont’s full-length album is due out in early 2009, listening to the numerous other pop/punk bands out there may curb your hunger alongside Oh Snap. This is typical music being introduced into a scene amongst already well-endowed bands, so Scott and the boys may need to turn up the heat and spark some more creativity or their CD may be found collecting dust in the closet.

Tagged as: Oh Snap EP, Philmont

↓ 3 comments

#1 Lizajanie on November 10th, 2008 at 3:39 pm

Drew, how did you get to be a critic on this site? Your assessment of Philmont’s OH SNAP has you sending mixed signals and conflicting messages.

Your review “sounds” critical yet you say some positive things. Are you trying to appease everyone?

Personally, I like this EP…a lot! As a matter of fact, I don’t agree that this “fits right into the average bear of punk tangents” (whatever that means!) I let two of my girlfriends (in their mid-twenties) listen to “Another Name” on my iPod, and they BOTH listened four times in a row and cried. This song really resonates with listeners! And, as far as your review goes, you didn’t even mention “Hipocratic Oath” which is brilliant! I think every song on this EP is a keeper and I can’t wait for the full lenght to hit so I can buy it IMMEDIATELY!!

#2 John Wofford on November 10th, 2008 at 7:31 pm

First off, Lizajanie, attacking Drew’s credentials as a critic is unacceptable. His assessment of Philmont’s music was both fair and critical: he pointed out flaws in the EP’s design (shoddy song structures, predictable sounds, derivative musical styles) while still remaining positive about the band’s potential to satisfy less picky music listeners.

He was far nicer than I would’ve been, and his estimation of the band’s talents appears both balanced and understanding of popular music trends.

To attack as retaliation against a (gasp!) well-written article in a gaggle full of crappy bands is ridiculous. Drew, keep up the good work. Lizajanie: enjoy the EP, but don’t expect the rest of us to.

#3 david on December 4th, 2008 at 6:09 am

Obviously living by the speedway has affected your hearing. This EP rocks!!

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